Stephen Gallacher rolls out 2027 Junior Ryder Cup qualification process
European captain believes ten-tournament schedule will produce a strong team to face Americans in Ireland
Stephen Gallacher has thrown down the gauntlet to 2027 Junior Ryder Cup hopefuls as the Bathgate man bids to lead Europe to victory in the biennial event for a second time.
The qualification process for next year’s contest in Ireland - the opening two days are being held at Ballyneety Golf Club before the singles are played at Adare Manor - has been announced by Ryder Cup Europe and the European Golf Association.
Points will be up for grabs in ten tournaments, with the top three boys and top three girls securing automatic selection and the remaining six spots then being selected by Gallacher.
“Anyone under 18 on 1 January - boy or girl - can qualify next year,” said the European captain. “There will be a ten-tournament process and we will pick the best five scores out of the ten. So the more players play in, the better chance they have of living out their dreams and playing in a Junior Ryder Cup.”
The first qualifying events are the Portuguese Ladies’ Amateur and Portuguese Amateur Championships in January, with the last counting tournaments being the The R&A Boys and Girls’ Amateur Championships in August.
“I think the qualification process will help the kids as they are playing under a bit of pressure, which they are going to do at Ballyneety and Adare Manor,” added Gallacher.
The 2014 Ryder Cup player, who led Europe to victory in Rome in 2023 before seeing his side lose to the US in New York last year, will be paying particular attention to the Irish Boys’ and Girls’ Championships when they take place at Ballyneety in May.
“I will be watching those events very closely,” he admitted. “That will be a great warm up for me because whoever does well round there will certainly be in my thoughts for the Junior Ryder Cup. I think both courses are fantastic and the kids are so good now that they are ready for what lies ahead.”
The main hopes of a Scot making the team probably lies with Carly McDonald, the St Andrews teenager who won The R&A Under-16 Girls’ Championship this year. Blairgowrie’s Fraser Walters, who topped the Scottish Boys’ Order of Merit this season, will also have his sights set on making Gallacher’s line up.
Gallacher, who currently tops the Legends Tour Order of Merit, paid a visit to Ballyneety and Adare Manor earlier this month along with Paul McGinley, his captain in the aforementioned Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.
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